1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to detention facilities, and in particular to such a facility with an outer, weather envelope and an inner, detention envelope.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Detention facilities are used to detain inmates and patients under various circumstances. Examples include persons accused and convicted of crimes, persons requiring protection in an environment with a relatively high degree of security, and persons with disorders and diseases who must be quarantined or segregated from the general population.
Traditional correction and detention facilities include prisons, jails, correction farms and half-way houses. Most of these facilities represent a compromise between security and costs. For example, "maximum security" prisons typically receive criminals who are considered high risk because they might be escape-prone and dangerous to society. Such maximum security facilities tend to include sophisticated security systems and relatively high ratios of guards-to-inmates. They are typically constructed as escape-proof as possible, which generally mandates the use of relatively expensive construction materials and techniques which would be difficult to penetrate or disassemble, e.g. masonry, concrete and steel. All of these features tend to contribute to the relatively high expenses associated with constructing, maintaining and operating maximum security prisons.
At the other end of the spectrum are relatively low-cost and low-security detention techniques. One such technique involves placing a minimal-risk offender under "house arrest". Electronic devices have been devised for attachment to offenders whereby their presence in their own homes can be electronically verified. Although these techniques offer potential savings to taxpayers, the lack of supervision and security renders them unsuitable for many inmates and patients.
Between these extremes exist a wide variety of correctional and detention facilities with various degrees of security and levels of costs. It will be appreciated that security and costs are generally inversely proportional to each other; the more security and supervision the greater the costs (for both construction and operation) and vice versa.
Criminal justice systems in many areas of this country are currently facing a dilemma caused by insufficient resources to adequately meet the demands of growing inmate populations. One factor contributing to this dilemma is the existence of mandatory prison terms for certain offenses, such as drug trafficking and various violent crimes. Court orders mandating reductions in prison overcrowding are also a factor. The influx of refugees and illegal aliens who must be detained pending naturalization or expulsion further contributes to the dilemma.
Faced with such demands, many government entities are finding it necessary to provide additional detention facilities. However construction costs for conventional detention facilities tend to be relatively high, for example, in the range of Sixty Thousand to Seventy-Five Thousand Dollars per inmate. Furthermore, the construction periods typically associated with conventional detention facilities tend to be relatively long due to the complexity of such structures and their security aspects. Lengthy construction periods can further increase the costs associated with interest charges on financing, inflation, etc.
The detention facility of the present invention addresses these problems associated with conventional detention structures.